SDS100 in Metro Atlanta

[wise871]

I'm up in Atlanta for the week and I brought my SDS100 w/RS800. I was a little worried based a one users report on the north end but I'm down by the Airport and SW Atlanta and the SDS100 is working great. So far the Atlanta and Fulton P25 are coming in with nice clean audio and my RSSI is in the -40's. So far I am impressed. On the way up on I-85 it also worked great on all the Trunk Systems and GSP from the state line.

 

[SkiBob]

Hi Dan. Welcome to the Promise Land.

When you get a minute, and if you are willing, put that fancy dancy new machine of yours on MARTA and let us know how it does. A few of us have had challenges with it. I think some changes in the database are in order. I have been troubleshooting and have come up empty.

Thanks.

Are you coming to the west side this trip?

 

[wise871]

Hi Dan. Welcome to the Promise Land.



When you get a minute, and if you are willing, put that fancy dancy new machine of yours on MARTA and let us know how it does. A few of us have had challenges with it. I think some changes in the database are in order. I have been troubleshooting and have come up empty.



Thanks.



Are you coming to the west side this trip?

I plan to hit a few different systems while I'm here. This evening I have the SDS100 in Discovery mode on the Delta Airlines DMR. So far I'm up 44 new Talkgroup hits. I'm surprised no one has logged all the good stuff around the airport. My goal is to hit a few things around the airport for a day or two and I plan on hitting Cobb County, Douglas County, Marietta, etc while I'm here. I'm in the outskirts of the Fulton Industrial Blvd area while I'm here.


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[wise871]

Hi Dan. Welcome to the Promise Land.

When you get a minute, and if you are willing, put that fancy dancy new machine of yours on MARTA and let us know how it does. A few of us have had challenges with it. I think some changes in the database are in order. I have been troubleshooting and have come up empty.

Thanks.

Are you coming to the west side this trip?

SkiBob
I'm seeing the same thing you are in regards to MARTA. You have to be inside the 285 beltway and close to a tower but it still struggles. Atlanta P25 on the other hand sounds great. I bet there was no tester in the Metro Atlanta area. Still have Cobb and Fulton to monitor. Spent the day at the Delta museum listening to ATC and the Delta 900 DMR system which sounds great.

 

[captainmax1]

Please make sure you submit all your verified findings to RR. I usually frequent Atlanta Metro area regular but haven't been up there in over a year. My family lives in Gwinnett County and they went silent years ago but I still like scanning all other places including Fulton County. Will be up there later this year. Thanks

 

[SkiBob]

SkiBob
I'm seeing the same thing you are in regards to MARTA. You have to be inside the 285 beltway and close to a tower but it still struggles. Atlanta P25 on the other hand sounds great. I bet there was no tester in the Metro Atlanta area. Still have Cobb and Fulton to monitor. Spent the day at the Delta museum listening to ATC and the Delta 900 DMR system which sounds great.

Thanks for checking out the MARTA system. When I scan the band I can pick up the individual frequencies with no problem. The system just won't trunk like it use too. During the troubleshooting process, I have found numerous frequencies that are not listed in the system. When I add them, it makes no difference. When I put the scanner in the single control channel mode (or whatever it's called) it doesn't act like other 800 systems does. I am certainly an amateur at this and it has caused me to do a lot of research and learning, which isn't a bad thing.

The Delta system does sound great. I am on the edge of the range for that. On a good day I can pick it up. I am not very knowledgeable on how the DMR systems work, so I just have the frequencies plugged in with ID search on. Someday I will get the software that helps put it all together. Regardless, it's amazing all the coordination that takes place to make the world's largest airline work at the world's busiest airport.

Another fun one to listen to this time of year is Stone Mountain. Your can monitor it just about anywhere in the metro area. The call boxes on the trails are hooked up to the radio system. You hear all kinds of things.

Keep us updated.

 

[w4amp]

My 436 and 536 receive MARTA with no problems in Dallas, Georgia. Sirio SD300N and pre-amp at 1250' ASL. Usually leave it off because it is pretty boring.


Will have an SDS100 soon and will try it out.

 

[relicwr]

Is the MARTA still on this SmartZone system I'm looking at right now?

 

[Casey]

Marta is still smartzone 3600 baud control channel mixed mode analog and p25 digital. (Police digital, train operations analog).

 

[oceans777]

Two new SDS-100's with Remtronix 800 MHz antennas in my office in Gwinnett, MARTA busy as always and tracking fine here, it's been one system here that always comes in from Atlanta systems. Atlanta Public Safety P25 also doing well even in office with PC's, large monitors etc.
The only weird thing here is the 436/536 still pick up well upstairs on the Remtronix but the SDS's both go deaf in upstairs rooms on Atlanta systems. No difference or RF issues up there that I can find but RSSI nosedives on both 100's on Atlanta PubSafety, Marta comes in just barely.

 

[DanRollman]

I plan to hit a few different systems while I'm here. This evening I have the SDS100 in Discovery mode on the Delta Airlines DMR. So far I'm up 44 new Talkgroup hits. I'm surprised no one has logged all the good stuff around the airport.

I received my SDS100 this week and added the DMR and NXDN features. I have a keen interest in monitoring the Delta Air Lines system and figuring out their talkgroup usage. It does sound great.

However I notice I'm clearly missing some conversations. I suspect this relates either to missing frequencies in the programming or LCN errors. The RR DB has a note that not all LCNs are confirmed. Has anyone had luck verifying the complete LCN structure for this system? Interestingly, I am able to pick up a lot of conversations using the RR info, but I am not able to verify even a single LCN using LCN Finder on the SDS100.

Dan

 

[DanRollman]

I have a keen interest in monitoring the Delta Air Lines system and figuring out their talkgroup usage. However I notice I'm clearly missing some conversations. I suspect this relates either to missing frequencies in the programming or LCN errors. The RR DB has a note that not all LCNs are confirmed. Has anyone had luck verifying the complete LCN structure for this system?

Well notwithstanding the fact that the Delta Air Lines LCN information in the database clearly isn't quite right (definitely missing some conversations entirely, but those that I receive sound terrific), I let Discovery Mode run on my SDS100 for a few hours. Just updated the database entry for the system to add talkgroups I was able to generally figure out usage for. You'll see a clear pattern.

Of course, now that we've determined 110## is Maintenance, 111## is Ramps, and 112## is gates (which, of course, is collectively the bulk of the traffic on the system), the real trick is to figure out usage for the more obscure Delta activities around the airport (11401, 11405, 11502, 11601, 11705, etc.). Of course it would also be good to figure out better specifics on how Maintenance uses the various 110## talkgroups assigned to them.

Overall I am relatively pleased with the SDS100. For me, it works much better on P25 simulcast systems than my 436 ever did, but not nearly as well as my Unication G5 or my Relm KNG radios. Then again, my G5 and KNGs don't have a Discovery Mode and all these other whiz-bang features (and don't do DMR and NXDN!). Nor does the SDS100 work as well for airband monitoring as my Yaesu FTA-250L. Unfortunately there's still not one radio to end all radios...

Dan

 

[DanRollman]

Hi Dan. Welcome to the Promise Land.

When you get a minute, and if you are willing, put that fancy dancy new machine of yours on MARTA and let us know how it does. A few of us have had challenges with it. I think some changes in the database are in order. I have been troubleshooting and have come up empty.

Just ran my SDS100 on the MARTA system for a while from the Oak Grove area of DeKalb County. P25 talkgroups (e.g. police) sound really good. The analog talkgroups sound pretty bad (lots of static). As usual.

 

[SkiBob]

Just ran my SDS100 on the MARTA system for a while from the Oak Grove area of DeKalb County. P25 talkgroups (e.g. police) sound really good. The analog talkgroups sound pretty bad (lots of static). As usual.

Thank you for looking into this. I had a friend also monitor the MARTA system with his 436 and had same results as I experienced. We both live within 7 miles of each other. We just can't hear it like we use too.

Again, I can dial in individual frequencies and hear them well, it just won't trunk based off the information provided in the database. Do individual towers have their own set of frequencies and control channels? Is it possible the tower providing service to the west side changed it's control channel? How does that work?

I have also found additional frequencies that are not in the database. Adding them didn't make a difference.

 

[DanRollman]

Do individual towers have their own set of frequencies and control channels? Is it possible the tower providing service to the west side changed it's control channel? How does that work?

No, it is a single site simulcast system, so all towers use the same frequencies.

I have also found additional frequencies that are not in the database. Adding them didn't make a difference.

Additional voice frequencies don't matter on this type of system. All you need programmed is the active control channel. Your scanner relies on control channel data to know what frequency to tune to for voice traffic.